Funeral Rain Press Corps

Where: Starlite Room, Edmonton, Alberta
When: October 7, 2011

Last night I was expecting only to see one band, Alcest, but as it turns out I got to see two.

Junius opened up the show with their brand of American post metal. Isis, Pelican, and Deftones all smashed up together into a gorgeous, heavy blend. These guys are phenomenal live, and even Mrs. Blaspheme is a certified fan now. I hope they feel their reception was good enough for them to come back to Edmonton soon, because I know I’ll be there, at the front. We definitely grabbed one of their CDs on out way out, The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist, as well as a pair of patches.

After Junius awed the crowd, Alcest took the stage with a very warm reception. There were quite of people there for Alcest, rather than the headliner. Neige and his full band (I wondered if he would have a band as the albums are pretty much just him and drummer Winterhalter) were quite the atypical stereotypes of Frenchmen: quiet and polite, rather than loud and polite. And not a cigarette was lit once the whole set! I wish I could have filmed Neige say “We are Alcest from France”, it was the perfect introduction to them.

This is another band that Mrs. Blaspheme has come to love, just as I told her she would. Shoegaze and black metal combine to create a mesmerizing effect on the listener, and the viewer too. I wondered how Alcest would translate live, and they translate just fine. Deep fog shrouded them most of the time, with blue backlighting outlining their obscured forms, but on occasions where the fog dissipated, the whole band was smiling, really feeling the music and the crowd. Along with the Junius CD we left with Le Secret on vinyl and Écailles De Lune Digipak CD.

After Alcest Enslaved were going to play, but we had to leave before then. Which, I must say, is not to slight Enslaved. Rather it’s because we work too much and had been up at four in the morning and had to get up again at five. So a late night was not going to be possible, as my eyes were heavy before Junius even. Also, to be honest, we’ve seen Enslaved before, opening for Dimmu Borgir on their last trip through town, and it was awesome. So hopefully they come back again soon because I would love to see them again. Sorry guys. Next time.

In all, it was a near perfect night. The only blemish on the proceedings was the “7 o’clock” doors (7:45ish) and the 9:15 start time. If only Starlite actually opened their doors when they said they would. Also, if only they weren’t still purporting that Ghost were to be playing the show. Junius were their replacements.

French vanguard Alcest, responsible for the influential Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde and its masterful follow-up Écailles De Lune, are set to tour North America once again beginning later this month. Opening as direct support for Enslaved, Alcest begin the 19-date trek on September 23rd in Springfield, Virginia and conclude it on October 14th in West Hollywood, California, extensively traveling through Canada in between. Ghost were originally slated to be among the tour package, but unfortunately had to drop off recently due to visa complications. Here are the confirmed dates/venues:

September 23 – Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
September 24 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre
September 25 – New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
September 26 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
September 27 – Québec City, QC @ Impérial
September 29 – Montreal, QC @ Café Campus
September 30 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
October 1 – Columbus, OH @ Outland Live
October 2 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
October 3 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
October 5 – Winnipeg, MB @ WECC
October 6 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange
October 7 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room
October 8 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens
October 10 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
October 11 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
October 12 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
October 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
October 14 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour

As announced earlier, Alcest have revealed the title to their third album as Les voyages de l’âme (English: “The journeys of the soul“). The record is tentatively scheduled for early 2012 release through Prophecy Productions, with further release news to announced shortly. Alcest are widely credited with bringing in a dreamier, more shoegazing element into extreme metal the past few years, influencing many others to follow in their wake. Surely, Les voyages de l’âme will be yet another monumental release for the band, cemeting their modern legendry that much more.

Genre: Progressive Black Metal
Label: Debemur Morti

Blut Aus Nord, also known as France’s Darkthrone to some, are a fantastic band, and have been since their inception, and this re-release of their somewhat underrated 2001 album shows them at some of their most unsettling.
Odd riffs, fast drumming, and a very distinct lack of bass guitar tones (they’re really buried in there) gives the sound of very grim black metal, but it’s the avant-garde aspects of the band that are really starting to show their colors with this album, and even more so on the bonus disc.
The second CD is consisting of “The Fall: Chapter 7″ in three parts, and it’s at times extremely raw and violent black metal with parts very much an avant-garde shoegaze black metal (think of a more depressing and creepy Alcest or even Netra without the trip-hop). From what I gather, this second disc was recorded recently, for the re-release of The Mystical Beast of Rebellion, and it’s worth the price of the album alone.
If only more new black metal sounded this fresh and mind expanding.
8.5 out of 10.

The Death Holy Death Tour 2011 lays waste to Europe beginning tomorrow, beginning in Germany and ending in the Netherlands. The tour features the insanity of Watain, Shining, and Aosoth, and is pretty much guaranteed to kick some serious ass.

The Death Holy Death Tour 2011:
25.02.2011 DE – Adelsheim, Eventhall
26.02.2011 CH – Lausanne, Docks
27.02.2011 FR – Montpellier, Secret Place
28.02.2011 ES – Barcelona, Mephisto
01.03.2011 ES – Madrid, Caracol
02.03.2011 PT – Lisboa, Cine-teatro Corroios
03.03.2011 PT – Porto, Hard Club
04.03.2011 FR – Angouleme, Nef
05.03.2011 FR – Savigny le temple, Empreinte
06.03.2011 UK – London, Relentless Garage
07.03.2011 UK – Reading, Sub 89
08.03.2011 UK – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
09.03.2011 UK – Liverpool, Masque
10.03.2011 UK – Birmingham, Library
11.03.2011 FR – Notre Dame de Gravenchon, Arcade
12.03.2011 BE – Vosselaar, Biebob
13.03.2011 NL – Zaandam, De Kade

Genres: Black Metal, Doom, Progressive Black Metal
Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records

The Foetal Mind hail from France, a land known for depression, oppression, and rebellion, and from all of that comes French art. Whether it’s music, painting, poetry, it doesn’t matter: French art mirrors France in so many ways. And The Foetal Mind are no different.
I would definitely label this mostly instrumental album progressive, as it pushes the boundaries of what so-called black metal and doom are, mixing the two with some drone and DSBM touches. It’s a slow-moving journey through the genres, taking the listening audience through emotions that range from slightly melancholy to outright depressed, leaving a wellspring of catharsis and inspiration at the end.
Instrumentally, Lord Trowe is intensely talented. The Foetal Mind show off some astounding riffs with great leads and solos peppering the album, making it something that fans of many genres will like.
One of my favorite songs, “Instrumental”, has some electronic sounding drums and a hypnotic doomed prog riff over it that just blows my fucking mind. My absolute favorite song on the album, “Big Crunch”, has some of the best funeral doom vocals I’ve heard, courtesy of Segomaros.
I’d recommend the album for fans of Arch Enemy, Legions of Crows, Monarch, Paradise Lost, and more. If you like metal you should like The Grand Contraction.
8.5 out of 10.

The Foetal Mind on MySpace.